1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a tufting machine and method of producing tufts in a base fabric and is more particularly concerned with a tufting machine and method of tufting for producing multiple rows of tufts with single lengths of yarn.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the past, tufting machines with laterally shiftable needle bars have been devised. U.S. Pat. No. 3,026,830 issued Mar. 27, 1962 to Bryant et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 3,109,395 issued Nov. 5, 1963 to Batty et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 3,396,687 issued Aug. 13. 1968 to Nowicki and my U.S. Pat. No. 4,366,761 issued Jan. 4, 1983 all disclose tufting machines with laterally shiftable needle bars so as to permit a needle to selectively operate with one of two or more adjacent loopers. Of those patents listed above, the patent to Bryant et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,026,830 discloses a tufting machine which uses a disc shaped cam, the rotation of which is synchronized with the needle operation so as to shift the needle bar laterally in timed relationship to the operation of the needles. The prior art machines disclosed in the above-listed patents, all must be shifted in needle gauge increments and must therefore have quite close tolerances so that in one position all needles are in registry with a prescribed set of loopers and when shifted to another position the same needles are all in registry with another set of loopers.
Also, zig-zag tufted fabrics have been produced by shifting the base fabric or backing material by laterally moving a support beneath the needle bar. In such an operation, neither the needle bars nor the loopers are shifted. U.S. Pat. No. 3,577,943 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,301,205 show machines for doing this type of tufting.
In the past, narrow gauge tufting machines, because of the limited space between adjacent needles, have been restricted to using small diameter yarns. Such small diameter yarns are expensive to produce, break easily and do not bloom after tufting, as well as the comparable larger diameter yarns. The present invention is particularly suited to producing narrow gauge tufted products using larger diameter yarns than heretofore used, since one needle will produce two or more longitudinal rows of tufting.
In the past, the gauge of combination cut and loop pile tufting machines have been limited as to the narrowness of the gauge, due to the necessity for access to the looper assembly required for each needle. The present invention is particularly suited for use in such combination machines because it can produce narrow gauge goods without the necessity of a needle for each longitudinal row.